Monday, September 29, 2008

Titanic

I'm wondering if anyone has tried playing the game Titanic with your elementary classes. If you haven't, it's one of their favorite games, and I'm sure your classes will enjoy it too. The game is a cooperative learning game that requires the student's to work together to complete a task. I tell the story about the Titanic, and how it was an unsinkable ship. The game is played placing 6 folded mats (boats) on one endline, and 6 steppers (docks) on the opposite endline. Scatter large and small cones, balls, scooters, and anything you can find in your gym closet on the floor. The goal of the game for the students is to try and get from one end of the gym to the other without touching the gym floor. The students can ride on the scooters to get across, or they can place them under the mats and build rescue boats to get across. While they are crossing, they are required to pick up the equipment, pretending it's their luggage and "stuff" still in the water. If a student touches the gym floor with any body part, for the exception of their hands, they must go all the way back to the beginning endline. Large cones can be used to hop on to get across. The game is over when all of the boats, "stuff", and students are standing on the steppers (docks) without anyone touching the floor. Lastly, to make it more challenging, the teacher can be "Mother/Father Nature". As Mother/Father Nature, you can rock their boats, spin their scooters, or scatter any equipment that is not being held onto by the student's. If boats are unattended, you can send them all the way back to the beginning endline. I time the student's, and they really get into trying to beat their previous time. Every student is involved, every student helps the class to accomplish the same goal, and they get a great workout.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doug I like that activity A LOT. I am going to use it and I may pick your brain to better understand it. You are the man! - Alex

lisasru3 said...

Love it!!! I bet the kids have a great time. I think my middle school students would enjoy this. Did you make the activity up yourself? or find it from a resource?

Either way, thanks for sharing!!

Patrick D said...

Sounds like a fun and challenging experience for the kids. I have played similiar games like radioactive river in my student teaching days at North Allegheny. I never heard of this Titanic game.

DScoli said...

I got the game from another elementary p.e. teacher and added some of my own things to it. I haven't heard if anyone has tried it at the middle school level, but I know the elementary kids love it.

Kristen said...

Sounds great! Are you able to play this game more than once with your students? I wonder if they would still try to find new ways to transport everything and everyone, once they have figured out a successful way.